1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a water producing apparatus for producing liquid water from moisture in air.
2. Description of the Prior Arts:
A water producing apparatus for producing a desalted water from sea water has been well-known as an apparatus for converting sea water into a desalted water. A water treating apparatus for treating a waste water such as drainage in high degree to obtain water having high clarity has been proposed. This is one of the water producing apparatus classified in the apparatus for converting sea water into a desalted water. These apparatuses require a solution containing liquid water as a main component for producing water. Thus, these water producing apparatus could not be used to produce water in a place where no liquid water is found such as desert since the liquid water is used as the source.
It has been required for providing a water producing apparatus for producing water even in a place where no liquid water is found. A novel water producing apparatus has been developed.
The water producing apparatus is an apparatus for producing water from a moisture in the air and is a novel water producing apparatus which can produce water in any place as far as the air is present. Of course, it is impossible to produce water if no moisture is present in the air. According to the static data for weather and the results of inventors' studies, even in the air in a large desert at the central part of Arabian land, 3 to 4 g. of water is included in 1 m.sup.3 of the air, and accordingly, water can be produced. Thus, water can be obtained in a sterile land to live and to work and water can be used for irrigation to culture plants. The present invention contributes to expand living zones for human-beings and is quite important.
The principle of the apparatus is to produce water by adsorbing moisture in the air on an adsorbent as the first step and then, desorbing water adsorbed as steam by heating the water-adsorbed adsorbent and condensing the steam in a condenser as the second step. The adsorbent is dehydrated to recover the adsorbing function whereby the adsorbent can be repeatedly used for adsorbing moisture in air. Thus, liquid water can be repeatedly obtained from air.
FIG. 1 is a diagram of one embodiment of the water producing apparatus based on the basic principal in the prior art.
In FIG. 1, the references (1A), (1B) respectively represent a first and second columns which respectively hold an adsorbent layer (1a) and an adsorbent layer (1b); (2) designates a sucking blower as a means for sucking a gas containing a moisture as air into the first column (1A) or the second column (1B); (3) designates a recycling passage of a gas which connects to the first column (1A) or the second column (1B); (4) designates a blower for recycling the gas in the recycling passage to the arrow line direction A; (5) designates a heater for heating the gas in the recycling passage (3), and the heater (5) heats the adsorbent layer (1a) or the adsorbent layer (1b) so as to dehydrate the adsorbed water; (6) designates a burner as a heating source; (7) designates a combustion blower for feeding a fuel or air for combustion into the burner (6); (8) designates a passage of a gas branched from the recycling passage (3); (9) designates a condenser for condensing steam in the passage (8); (10) designates a cooling blower for cooling the condenser (9); (11) designates an air open type water receiver in which liquid water condensed by the condenser (9) is stored; (12) designates the liquid water produced; and (13a), (13b), (14a), (14b), (15a), (15b), (16a) and (16b) respectively designate valves for switching the corresponding flow of the gas.
The operation of the conventional apparatus will be illustrated.
In the conventional water producing apparatus, two columns are equipped. When one column is in the adsorbing step (first step), the other column is in the desorbing step (second step). When these steps are completed, the steps can be alternately switched and repeated to attain continuously the desorbing step.
In the following description, it will be stated the condition that the first column part (1A) is in the adsorbing step and the second column part (1B) is in the desorbing step.
In the adsorbing step in the first column (1A), the valves (13a), (14a) are opened and the valves (13b), (14b), (15a), (16a) are closed and the blower (2) is driven to suck the ambient air into the first column (1A) to contact it with the adsorbent layer (1a) held in the first column. In the step, the moisture is adsorbed from the air in the adsorbent layer (1a). The dried air is discharged through the valve (14a) out of the system. Thus, the adsorbing step is completed in the step of adsorbing the moisture in the adsorbent layer to be enough. On the other hand, the desorbing step, in the second column (1B), is preferably carried out in parallel to the adsorbing step in the first column (1A). That is, the valves (13b), (14b), (15a), (16a) are closed and the valves (15b), (16b) are opened. The gas (air) in the recycling passage (3) is heated by the heater (5) and is recycled to the arrow direction by the blower for recycling (4). Thus, the adsorbent layer (1b) in the second column (1B) is heated by the heated air whereby the water adsorbed in the adsorbent layer (1b) is desorbed as steam.
When the steam is desorbed from the adsorbent layer (1b), the volume of the gas in the recycling passage (3) is increased by the formation of the steam by the desorption and the temperature rising. The volumetrically expanded gas in the recycling passage (3) is discharged together with the desorbed steam through the condenser (9) into the ambient air. The steam in the gas flowed from the recycling passage (3) is condensed in the condenser (9) to store in the water receiver (11). The steam corresponding to the saturated steam pressure given depending upon the temperature of the condenser (9) is discharged into the ambient air as a loss. Thus, the air in the second column (1B) at the beginning is only small in comparison with the desorbed steam, and the quantity is limited. Therefore, all of the air is purged by the formed steam whereby only steam is substantially recycled in the recycling passage (3). In the condition for only steam, the pressure in the recycling passage (3) is always about 1 atm. since the passage is opened through the condenser (9) into the ambient air.
The gas recycling in the recycling passage (3) is only steam. The steam corresponding to the desorbed steam is fed into the condenser (9) to form water and water is stored in the water receiver (11). Thus, the desorbing step is completed by desorbing water in the adsorbent layer (1b) to be enough.
The adsorbing step and the desorbing step described above are alternately carried out in the first and second columns (1A), (1B) whereby liquid water can be continuously obtained from the moisture in the ambient air.
Thus, in the water producing apparatus in the prior art, many pipes for the passages of the gas and many valves for opening and closing the passages have been used. The operation is complicated. It has disadvantages for forming a compact and transferable structure.
In a desert in which the water producing apparatus is effectively used, even electricity is not easily obtained and, of course, liquid water is not easily obtained. It is necessary to save the energy as far as possible. Therefore, a pressure loss in the pipes and valves which cause energy consumption of the blowers (2), (4) should be minimized. The capacity of the blower for cooling (10) is preferably minimized in a range for maintaining the water producing ability of the condenser (9). The water producing apparatus in the prior art has the problem from a viewpoint of the energy saving.